Asian teams faces historic exit from T20 World Cup 2026 before semi-final stage

(Web Desk) – Cricket teams from Asia are likely suffer early elimination from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for the first time in history before the semi-final round.

Hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the tournament features six teams from the South Asian region, including the host nations, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal.

However, the tournament has seen a dramatic series of events. Bangladesh was controversially excluded from the World Cup before the tournament began, and Nepal, a weaker side, was eliminated in the initial phase as expected. Afghanistan, once a rising force in T20 cricket, also failed to progress beyond the group stage.

In a shocking turn of events, Sri Lanka, the co-host, was knocked out after losing two matches in the Super Eight stage, with a recent defeat to New Zealand marking the end of their tournament.

Now, only the former world champions, Pakistan, and the defending champions, India, remain as the last hopes for an Asian team to make it to the semi-finals. But both teams face significant hurdles.

Pakistan’s hopes were dented after England’s resounding victory over New Zealand. If England beats New Zealand again, Pakistan will have to defeat Sri Lanka by a large margin to secure a spot in the semi-finals. However, if New Zealand wins, Pakistan’s campaign will come to an end.

On the other hand, India, after a crushing defeat to South Africa in their opening Super Eight match, faces the daunting task of improving their net run rate. If they hope to make it to the semi-finals, they will need to win their next two matches by substantial margins. But India faces a tough challenge from Zimbabwe and West Indies.

India will play against Zimbabwe today and West Indies on Sunday. If India loses either of these matches or fails to improve their net run rate, this will mark the first time in the 19-year history of the T20 World Cup that no Asian team makes it to the semi-finals.